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Subject: CatholicismUSA - by: Fritz Wagner

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 09:58:02 +0000

A Drudge Report-type aggregator for Catholic news events called CatholicismUSA has been launched. www.catholicismusa.com

The creator of the site is David Wagner, a Dallas lawyer and a contributor to VoegelinView.

Subject: Yvor Winters and Voegelin - by: Tom D'Evelyn

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 17:35:43 +0000

I wrote my dissertation at Berkeley under Tom Parkinson in the late 70s and early 80s. He had just finished editing the Winters/Crane letters. I had read Winters since childhood in Bakersfield CA, a year or two before I started reading Voegelin in High School with Ken Quandt (my family had moved to the Bay Area). Winters, who began his undergraduate studies as a biologist, struggled with metaphysics and very gradually got a handle on some of the mysteries of being; Helen Pinkerton has written about this, but the matter remains confused. Some people around Winters read Voegelin but I'm not sure Winters ever did. In fact, it could be that those people -- Wes Trimpi at Stanford, for example - learned about Voegelin from Ken Quandt and me, who introduced Elroy Bundy, a member of the Classics Dept and a Pindar scholar, to V. In any event, Winters is better read in UK than in US (which comes as no surprise to many). But reading his work in terms of metaxological thinking remains to be done. Professors should steer their students to this topic. Today one has the work of William Desmond to complement those of V. Desmond's many volumes is the great flowering of metaxological thinking in our time.

Subject: A New Book that features Voegelin, among others - by: fwagner

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 05:39:51 +0000

Announcing the publication of Political Philosophy in the Twentieth Century, ed. Catherine H. Zuckert (Cambridge, 2011), 280 pp. $29.95 paper. Inspired by Ellis Sandoz’s description of the way in which Eric Voegelin’s life reflected his understanding of “the philosopher’s vocation,” Catherine Zuckert has collected accounts of the ways in which the lives and thought of seventeen other prominent political philosophers constituted responses to the unprecedented political crises of the twentieth century. Voegelin is featured as one of several European emigrés who fundamentally changed American political discourse by making it more philosophical and historical.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Political Philosophy in the Twentieth Century 1
Catherine H. Zuckert

Part I: The Three Basic Alternatives in the Early Twentieth Century

1. John Dewey: Philosophy as Theory of Education xx
David Fott

2. Carl Schmitt: Political Theology and the Concept of the Political xx
Tracy B. Strong

3. Antonio Gramsci: Liberation Begins with Critical Thinking xx
Joseph Buttigieg

Part II: Emigré Responses to World War II

4. Philosophy as a Way of Life: The Case of Leo Strauss xx
Steven B. Smith

5. The Philosopher’s Vocation: The Voegelinian Paradigm xx
Ellis Sandoz

6. Yves R. Simon: A Philosopher’s Quest for Science and Prudence xx
Walter Nicgorski

7. Hannah Arendt: From Philosophy to Politics xx
Dana R. Villa

Part III: The Revival of Liberal Political Philosophy

8. Friedrich Hayek on the Nature of Social Order and Law xx
Eric Mack

9. Michael Oakeshott: The Philosophical Skeptic in an Impatient Age xx
Timothy Fuller

10. Moral Pluralism and Liberal Democracy: Isaiah Berlin’s xx
Heterodox Liberalism
William Galston

11. H. L. A. Hart: A Twentieth-Century Oxford Political Philosopher xx
John M. Finnis

12. John Rawls and the Task of Political Philosophy xx
Paul Weithman

13. Richard Rorty: Liberalism, Irony, and Social Hope xx
Michael Bacon

Part IV: Critiques of Liberalism

14. Jean-Paul Sartre: “In the Soup” xx
William Leon McBride

15. Michel Foucault: An Ethical Politics of Care of Self and Others xx
Alan Milchman and Alan Rosenberg

16. Jürgen Habermas: Postwar German Critical Debates and xx
the Making of a Theorist
William E. Scheuerman

17. Alasdair MacIntyre on Political Thinking and the Tasks of Politics xx
Arthur Madigan, S.J.

18. Another Philosopher-Citizen: The Political Philosophy xx
of Charles Taylor
Ruth Abbey

About the Contributors xx

Subject: Blade Runner Revisited - by: fwagner

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 04:37:49 +0000

I decided to go and watch Blade Runner again when I read Eric Wilson's analysis of the film. In my memory from almost 30 years ago the film was gloomy, depressing, sado-masochistic and pointless. I had absolutely no recollection of any subtle interplay of the characters or subtle dialogue or symbolic plotting. It was only an action film without a happy ending. I watched the "Director's Cut" this time, which was released in 1992 (without the Harrison Ford voice-over and with a different ending).

On this viewing I saw and heard for the first time what Eric was writing about, but I don't think I would have picked it up on my own. One is being continuously assailed by disturbing images from the bizarre sets, the thick pollution in the air, the SoHo extreme costuming,etc. It seems to me the background swallows the foreground and one is so busy sorting things out at the level of action that one can't think about the film in deeper terms unless one takes the time to perform a formal analysis.

It is an eight star film (out of a possible 10) at the Internet Movie Data Base and apparently every film critic has written about it because there is a list there of 200 published reviews. Harrison Ford is quoted as not liking it in retrospect. I remember at the time Sean Young was unusually beautiful, even for a Hollywood type.

The elements of Cabbala are certainly there, but I am not sure that people do or should take it for anything more than science fiction.

I am not a student of pop culture and if you told me that people today treat these films as religion substitutes, etc., I wouldn't have any idea if that were true, since all of my friends and their children seem to be attached to the great traditions that I was trained in.

It would be interesting to hear from someone who has an opinion about this film

Best,

Fritz Wagner

Subject: David Goldman's new book How Civilizations Die - by: Mikew

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 18:51:29 +0000

I have just read David Goldman's interesting new book, How Civilizations Die, and I was wondering if other members had anything to say about it. As I read Goldman's book I couldn't help but recall various pertinent observations from The New Science of Politics. Voegelin's insight, for example, into the way the uncertainty of faith can tempt people toward gnostic mischief seems to be unknown to Goldman, who is deeply concerned at how the loss of faith leads to societal breakdown (as people simply lose the will to procreate). Any thoughts?

Mike Walsh

Subject: Cave of Forgotten Dreams - by: fwagner

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:08:58 +0000

"The Cave of Forgotten Dreams" is Werner Herzog's new film about 20,000 year old cave paintings in Southern France. It ties in with Barry Cooper's work on Shamanism. Clips from the film may be seen here: www.imdb.com/title/tt1664894/ What can be seen is fascinating.

Fritz Wagner

Subject: A New Incarnation - by: fwagner

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:19:18 +0000

A blogger has collected all the images and texts divinizing Barrack Obama. Amazing! The compilation is as complete as one could wish. You will find it at: obamamessiah.blogspot.com/

Subject: “VOEGELINIAN” TO TEACH ONLINE PHILOSOPHY COURSES - by: TEL

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 03:55:48 +0000

“Voegelinian” to teach online courses on Plato and Aristotle-

To add to the previous post:

I am a practicing lawyer, but I was a student of Gerhart Niemeyer and Eric Voegelin at Notre Dame in the late 60’s and early 70’s, and I pursued graduate studies under David Walsh at Catholic University in the 90’s. My parish church, St. Thomas the Apostle in Phoenix, Arizona, established an “Institute of Catholic Theology” to enhance the intellectual formation of adult Catholics. The Institute offers courses on a broad range of topics and is geared toward education at the undergraduate level. You do not have to be Catholic to take the courses. The classes meet from 6:30PM-8:30PM MST one night a week for six weeks. The fee is $50 per course. You may register for and take the courses online. The classes are also recorded and may be viewed for up to eight weeks online after the course begins. The Website address for the Institute is www.theologyphoenix.com, and it may also be reached from the linked adlet shown in the lower right column of the VoegelinView home page.

I will be teaching two courses this fall. The first, on Plato, is on each Wednesday night from September 14 through October 19. The second, on Aristotle, is on each Monday night from November 7 through December 12. Course descriptions are available on the Website. A syllabus for each course, and outlines for the classes, will be made available online as well. The student may take one or both courses.

--Tom Lordan

Subject: Scientism as Political Orthodoxy - by: fwagner

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 02:51:49 +0000

Kevin D. Williamson, an editor at National Review,has written a piece about Texas Governor Rick Perry (A newly-announced US presidential candidate) and reporters questioning Perry on his views of science.
The piece suggests Williamson is intimately familiar with Eric Voegelin's thought on scientism in politics and how it is used to suppress an openness to transcendence, as set forth, for instance, in our most recent excerpts from The Collected Works.
An alternative possibility, of course, is that there is a convergence from multiple sources, and a person can become quite well informed on the range of problems without having ever read Voegelin.
Williamson offers sharp observation but avoids technical language. It gives one hope of better public discourse in the future. Or does it portend little and stand out because it is so unexpected?
The URL to Williamson's piece is found HERE.

Fritz Wagner

Subject: Voegelinian Online Seminar - by: fwagner

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 02:02:19 +0000

Thomas Lordan was a student of Eric Voegelin and Gerhart Niemeyer. He is now offering an online course on Plato and Aristotle. The prospectus may be seen at the seminar sponsor's website, the Institute of Catholic Theology, which may be reached from the linked adlet shown in the lower right column of the VoegelinView home page.

Fritz Wagner

Subject: Call for Papers - by: fwagner

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 01:49:17 +0000

Here's our call for papers for the 2012 New Orleans meeting of APSA. --Best, Ellis Sandoz

Call for papers:

The Eric Voegelin Society, for its 28th annual international meeting in New Orleans,invites papers in the general field of political philosophy with particular attention to the work of Eric Voegelin and the broad range of interdisciplinary and comparative concerns reflected in his scholarship.

This includes resistance to tyranny, classical philosophy, Christian thought, philosophy of history, the interface of religion and politics including radical Islam, modernity, post-modern thought, terrorism, ideological politics with its authoritarian and totalitarian manifestations, and contemporary challenges (both foreign and domestic) to liberty, free government, rule of law, the integrity of the American constitutional order and federal system included.

Liberty, individual rights, and the tradition of Anglo-American constitutionalism are prominent interests of the Society.

>>>>>>>>Send a 200 word precis with any proposal, a title, author's name, and Email address.
The submission deadline is December 15th, 2011.

Contact: Prof. Ellis Sandoz, Secretary, Eric Voegelin Society. For email use the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of every VoegelinView page.

Subject: Complete List of Topics and Speakers for EVS 2011 - by: Fritz Wagner

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 19:13:58 +0000

The following Newsletter is also found below as a .DOC attachment similar to the original printed notice, which may make downloading easier.

ALL INFORMATION IS CURRENT AS OF AUGUST 22, 2011

THE ERIC VOEGELIN SOCIETY
NEWSLETTER No. XXVI
July 15, 2011 (Publication date before program changes) Professor Ellis Sandoz, Secretary

www.ericvoegelin.org/ E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Eric Voegelin Institute, Louisiana State University, 240 Stubbs Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 AC 225 578-2552/-7888; FAX 225 578-4766

This year's 27th Annual International Meeting of the Eric Voegelin Society will he held in Seattle, WA, in conjunction with the 105th APSA convention. The program is given below but should he updated by consulting the APSA Web site www.apsanet.org/mtgs/ N.B.: Times of the panels are given below and ALL our panels will he located in the Grand Hyatt Seattle (721 Pine St., Seattle, WA 98101) which is the convention HQ and all panels will meet in the Leonesa I Room. For reservations contact Travel Planners at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Please give me your program suggestions and proposals for next year's meeting no later than Jan. 10: next year we meet in New Orleans. Hope to see you in Seattle for what promises to be another outstanding meeting. Note that panel numbers are jumbled, sorry to say! Here's the sequence, by day & time:
27th Annual International EVS Meeting Program (Seattle, WA, Sept. 1-4, 2011) Program At a Glance: Check the APSA Web site for any changes under "Related Groups/ EVS"

Thursday, Sept. 1
8 AM The Range of Human Memory (Panel 4)
10:15 AM What Does Mass Man Do with his Soul? Popular Arts in Democracies (Panel 7)
2 PM The Languages of Eric Voegelin (Panel 3)
4:15 PM Voegelin Studies and East Asian Politics:
The Silent-Brush Politics and Art in China (Panel 12)

Friday, Sept. 2
8AM Perspectives on the Crisis of Modernity (Panel 10)
10:15 AM Is there a Clash of Civilizations? Geopolitics and Globalization (Panel 6)
2 PM Mysticism and Politics in Voegelin's Theory ((Panel 1)
4:15 PM Realism in Political Philosophy (Panel 8)

Saturday, Sept. 3
8 AM Religious Experience and Politics: Eric Voegelin and Beyond (Panel 2)
10:15 AM Voegelin and Personalism (Panel 9)
2 PM A Republic if you can Keep it: Constitutionalism in Crisis? (Panel 11)
4:15 PM Order and Disorder in International Politics:
From Pacem in Terris to the Regensburg Address (Panel 5)

6-8:30 PM Business meeting & Dutch treat Reception : ( Hyatt Leonesa I & II-III, rcsp.)

PROGRAM DETAIL 12 panels

1. Mysticism & Politics in Voegelinian Theory Friday, Sept. 2, 2:00 PM
Chair: Ellis Sandoz, Louisiana State University

Papers:
What is a Mystic Philosopher and Why does it Matter?
Ellis Sandoz, Louisiana State University
The Philosophical Basis of Belief: Voegelinian Reflections on the Relationship between the Vision of the Divine and the Light of Reason
Henrik Syse, Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)

The Voice of Revelation in the Conversation of Mankind
Steven Ealy, Liberty Fund, Inc.

Divine Condescension
Jerry L. Martin, American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) (emeritus)

Disc: William Petropulos, Voegelin Archive Munich
Macon Boczek, Kent State University
Peter von Sivers, University of Utah

2. Religious Experience and Politics: Saturday, Sept. 3, 8:00 AM
Eric Voegelin and Beyond
Chair: Claudia Kinkela, National Endowment for the Humanities

Papers:
"Politics" and "Religion" in the Late Paleolithic-
Barry Cooper, University of Calgary
Nietzsche's Most Abysmal Thought
Michael Gillespie, Duke University
The Noetic Turn: From Zarathustra to the Wisdom of Salomon Wolfgang Leidhold, University of Cologne, Germany
Communicating Mystical Experience: The Problem of Secondary Symbolism
Eugene Webb, The Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies University of Washington
Disc: Athansios Moulakis, American University in Iraq
Glenn Hughes, St. Mary's University, San Antonio, Texas

3. The Languages of Eric Voegelin Thursday, Sept. 1, 2:00 PM
Chair: Tilo Schabert, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (emeritus)

Papers:
Eric Voegelin and the Languages of Science and Common Sense
John von Heyking , University of Lethbridge
Voegelin's Uses of Metaphor
Glenn Hughes, St. Mary's University-San Antonio
Language and the Evocation of Order - On Eric Voegelin's Concept of the Political
Matthias Riedl, Central European University-Budapest
Voegelin's Voyages in Languages between Consciousness and Reality
Tilo Schabert, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
Disc: Barry Cooper, University of Calgary
Steven McGuire, Eastern University, St. David's

4. The Range of Human Memory Thursday, Sept. 1, 8:00 AM
Chair: Manfred Henningsen. University of Hawaii Manoa

Papers:
The Origins of Evil and the Banality of its Perpetrators: Schelling. Freud. Arendt. Voegelin
Manfred Henningsen. University of Hawaii Manoa
American Forgetting: Abraham Lincoln, the Conquest of the West and the Removal of Indians
Patrick Johnston. University of Hawaii at Manoa
The Khmer Rouge and the Re-Visioning of the Khmer Empire
Steven De Burger. University of Hawaii at Manoa:

The African Bushmen and the Origins of Human Consciousness
Louis Herman. University of Hawaii at West-Oahu

Disc: Jürgen Gebhardt. University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
Michael Franz. Loyola College of Maryland

5. Order and Disorder in International Politics: Saturday, Sept. 3, 4:15 PM
From Pacem in Terris to the Regensburg Address
Chair: Timothy Fuller. Colorado College

Papers:
Pacem in Terris and the Regensburg Address
Timothy Fuller. Colorado College
Pacem in Terris and Just War Theory
David Corcy, Baylor University
21st Century International Politics: The Perspective from the Small States
Martin Palous. Czech Republic Ambassador to the United Nations
Joseph de Maistre's Insufficient Response to the Crisis
John T. Jamieson. independent scholar
Disc.: David Walsh, Catholic University of America

6. Is there a Clash of Civilizations? Friday, Sept. 2, 10:15 AM
Geopolitics and Globalization

Roundtable
Chair: Greg Russell, University of Oklahoma
Parts: Tim Lomperis. Saint Louis University
Michael Desch, Notre Dame University
Peter von Sivers, University of Utah
David Clinton, Baylor University
Dan Lang. Lynchburg College
Greg Russell. University of Oklahoma

7. What does mass man do with his soul?
Popular arts in democracies Thursday, Sept. 1, 10:15 AM.
Chair: Charles R. Embry, Texas A & M University Commerce (emeritus)

Papers:
Harry, Ron, Hermione: J.K. Rowling. Aristotelian Friendship and the Fully Human Life.
Jeff Herndon, Texas A & M University-Commerce
J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings: mythopoesis, heroism, and providence
Tom McPartland, Kentucky State University
Justice and the Western Perception of Dostoevsky: Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdemeanors and Match Point
Michal Kuz. Louisiana Slate University
The Gnostic Zombie: Bare Life and the Death of the Soul
Peter Y. Paik, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee

Disc.: Timothy Hoye, Texas Woman's University
Rodney Kilcup (retired)
Robin Seiler (independent scholar)

8. Realism in Political Philosophy Friday, Sept. 2, 4:15 PM
Chair: Matthias Riedl, Central European University

Papers:
Phenomenalism and Spiritual Realism
Jürgen Gebhardt. University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (emeritus)
A Renaissance of Realism? Recent Contributions to the Realistic Philosophical Tradition
Hans-Jorg Sigwart. University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
Hobbes and Spinoza. The Realist Reaction to Religious Warfare
Maxwell Staley. University of California, Berkeley
Rousseau in the Philosophy of Eric Voegelin
Carolina Armenteros, University of Groningen
Disc.: Peter Brickey LeQuire, University of Chicago
Michael A. Gillespie. Duke University

9. Voegelin and Personalism Saturday, Sept. 3, 10:15 AM
Chair: David Walsh, Catholic University of America

Papers:
Wojtyla's Personalism and Kantian Human Dignity: Parallel Avenues of Reason within the Tension toward the Ground of Existence
Gustavo Santos. Catholic University of America
Humanity and the Human Person in Kant, Schelling, and Voegelin
Steven F. McGuire, Eastern University
Voegelin and the Philosophy of Personalism: The Early Years
William Petropulos, Eric Voegelin Archive Munich
Lonergan's Voegelin: Why Voegelin is and is not an Existentialist
Sarah Shea. McGill University

Disc: John von Heyking. University of Lethbridge
Athanasios Moulakis. American University in Iraq

10. Perspectives on the Crisis of Modernity Friday, Sept. 2, 8:00 AM

Chair: Sylvie Courtine-Denamy, Centre de Recherches en Philosophie Politique. Sciences Politiques (CEVIPOF) Paris

Papers:
Hunting the Devils: Erie Voegelin and Simone Weil
Sylvie Courtine-Denamy, Centre de Recherches en philosophie politique. Sciences Politiques Paris
Modernity and secularisation in The Legitimacy of the Modern Age of Hans Blumenberg
Thierry Gontier. University of Lyon
Eric Voegelin and Hannah Arendt on Action
Robert Virdis. McMaster University
On the Centrality of the Jewish Experience in the Political Theory of Hannah Arendt
Jennifer Richard, Louisiana State University

Disc.: Dan Larabie, University of Calgary
David Walsh, Catholic University of America
Henik Syse, Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)

11. A Republic if You can Keep it: Saturday, Sept. 3, 2:00 PM
Constitutionalism in Crisis?

Roundtable

Parts: Hadley Arkes. Amherst College
Matthew Franck, Witherspoon Institute
Ralph Rossum. Claremont McKenna College
James Stoner, Louisiana State University
David C. Brown, Loyola University of New Orleans

12. Voegelin Studies and East Asian Politics: Thursday, Sept. 1, 4:15 PM
The Silent Brush-Politics & Art in China

Chair: Paul Caringella. Hoover Institution Stanford

Papers:
Calligraphy as Restoration of Meaning
Jiang Li Qun. Jiang Su Technology and Science University
Writing Outside the City Walls. Barret Dolph. Zhen Jiang Culture Center
The Reception of Hannah Arendt in China Today
Benjamin Li. Jian Su University
Disc.: Timothy J. Lomperis, Saint Louis University
Eugene F. Webb, University of Washington
Zhang Xu-Rui. JingNan Morning Newspaper
Jiang Tiang. Shanghai University of Finance and Economics
Manfred Henningsen, University of Hawaii

Business Meeting Sat. Sept. 3, 6:00 PM,
Hyatt Leonesa Room I
Dutch treat Reception Sat., Sept. 3, 7:00 PM, Hyattt Leonesa Rooms II & III

OTHER NEWS AND NOTES
Convention rate discounts are available for all Voegelin books published by University of Missouri Press: 30% off, so stock up! The Eric Voegelin Institute Series in Political Philosophy and in Religion and Politics now includes over 30 volumes with others in press. The Collected Works of Eric Voegelin (34 vols.) now is complete, the achievement of the past quarter century! A one-hour TV documentary film on Voegelin's life and work is now finished and and can be viewed Online and/or downloaded at filestogeaux.lsu.edu/public/download.php...jhischer/78859WeeSci There is also a link to the documentary on the EVI Web site and the digitized interview tapes of Autobioigraphical Reflections can be found there under "Audio Archives." The DVD of "Voegelin in Toronto" is available from The University of Missouri Press. The translation of Voegelin's works and pertinent secondary literatures into Chinese and a number of other languages is proceeding apace. Remember to send your VITAL tax-deductible contributions to LSU Foundation to support the Eric Voegelin Institute's important work (operations or endowment): 3838 West Lakeshore Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70808. We are now wholly dependant upon private funds for our activities. Be generous! Contribute Online! Consult our Website for details: Http://www.ericvoegelin.org/ Donors who give $250 or more will be sent a complimentary copy of Voegelin's Autobiographical Reflections! Contribute Online!

IN DEFENSE OF CIVILIZATION